American Institute Of Certified Planners (AICP) Practice Exam

A square mile is a unit of area that is equivalent to the area of a square with sides that are each one mile long. To understand how many acres are in a square mile, it is important to know the conversion factors between these units. One mile is equal to 5,280 feet, and an acre is defined as 43,560 square feet. To find the total number of acres in a square mile, we can start by calculating the total area of one square mile in square feet: 1 mile x 1 mile = 5,280 feet x 5,280 feet = 27,878,400 square feet. Next, we can divide this total by the size of one acre: 27,878,400 square feet ÷ 43,560 square feet/acre ≈ 640 acres. Thus, one square mile contains exactly 640 acres. This factual basis supports the selection of the response that states there are 640 acres in a square mile. Knowing this helps clarify land area conversions, which can be critical in planning and land management scenarios often encountered in the AICP exam.